


Bucky's Hot Date

by roe87



Series: Steve/Bucky modern au's [16]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Bucky Barnes, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Developing Friendships, Domestic Fluff, First Dates, First Meetings, Flirting, Fluff, Human Disaster Bucky Barnes, Humor, M/M, Meet-Cute, Neighbors, Netflix and Chill, Oblivious Bucky Barnes, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Roommates, annoying friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-02 07:13:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16782178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roe87/pseuds/roe87
Summary: Social disaster Bucky Barnes keeps meeting his hot new neighbor under awkward circumstances, but luckily for him he ends up being invited over for dinner.Or, the one where Bucky doesn't realise he's on a date.





	Bucky's Hot Date

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into 中文 available: [巴奇的性感約會](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16907598) by [sashach](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sashach/pseuds/sashach)



> Happy Birthday to [Doomcheese](http://doomcheese.tumblr.com)!!
> 
> I wrote you some stucky fluff, I hope you like it! <33
> 
> ~

When Bucky first crossed paths with the new neighbor, he wasn't having the best day ever.

Which was something of a regular occurrence for Bucky; not having a great day. He'd been running late, was juggling multiple things in his hands while also yelling at Clint on the phone as he'd tried to get out the door to the building.

Then someone opened the door for him and held it, so Bucky gathered himself together and walked through.

The guy was huge and blond, and gave him a friendly smile, then walked inside the building after Bucky had exited.

Bucky paused. "Uh, Clint," he hissed into his phone, "I think I just let some guy into the building."

"What's he look like?" Clint asked, as Bucky loitered by the one window and tried to peer in.

"Like he goes to the gym a lot," Bucky said, watching the stranger.

Blondie went over to the mail slots, and it looked like he had a key for one because he opened it up.

"Oh, thank God," Bucky sighed, "he must've moved in recently."

Then Blondie noticed Bucky watching, and Bucky's eyes went wide as he was caught.

"Shit," he muttered, and quickly side-stepped out of sight, and went back to minding his own business.

The second time, when Bucky actually met the new neighbor, was when he was at the bodega across the street.

Bucky had been the room-mate elected to go get snacks, because Clint was too lazy, and so was Natasha.

And it was cold, so Bucky had wrapped up warm and put on his gloves. He figured he'd carry the items as he picked them up, he wouldn't need a basket.

Every time.

Every single time he went to the bodega, Bucky figured he wouldn't need a basket, and every time he ended up with his arms piled high with stuff as he carefully manoeuvred to the cashier.

This time was no different, and Bucky went to get in line with his arms fit to bursting with snacks. He'd almost gotten to the little conveyor belt when he felt his grasp on something slip.

"Shit," he muttered, as a few packets of chips escaped his hands and slid across the floor in a very dramatic fashion.

"Dammit." Bucky's arms were still full of dips and chips, so he had to place those on the counter first before he dealt with the escapees.

But someone had grabbed his chips from the floor and handed them over. Bucky looked up into the smiling face of the new neighbor, and accepted his chips with a shy smile of his own.

"Thanks," he said. "I, um. They're not all for me."

Blondie had a great smile. Bucky didn't normally go for blonds, but this guy just seemed to radiate sunshine.

"No problem. Hey, I think we're neighbors," Blondie said, standing in line behind Bucky with only a single jar of pickles.

Bucky hated pickles.

He got himself together and replied, "We are?"

"Yeah. You live with Natasha, right?"

"Yeah."

"I'm just down the hall," Blondie said happily. "I'm Steve."

"Bucky."

"Oh, is James the other guy?"

Bucky huffed. "No, that's Clint, her boyfriend. I'm James, Bucky's a nickname."

Steve smiled at him. "Got it."

They moved down the line, and Bucky got a shopping bag out of his pocket.

"At least you brought a bag with you," Steve mentioned.

Bucky laughed at himself. "Yeah, only because Natasha reminded me."

"Snacks run, huh?"

"Yep." Bucky stepped around to the other side of the cashier as his items were cashed up. "I drew the short straw."

After Bucky had paid for and bagged his mountain of snacks, he found himself hanging around waiting for Steve, who paid for his pickles and smiled politely at the cashier.

"I hate pickles," Bucky blurted out.

Steve, carrying the jar in his hand along with his receipt, gave him a surprised look then started laughing.

He had a nice laugh. 

"Are you only having pickles for dinner?" Bucky asked.

"Actually, I really wanted hamburgers," Steve said, as they left the store together. "And you can't have a hamburger without pickle."

"Yes, you can," Bucky replied. "You absolutely can."

Steve laughed again, and they crossed the street to their building.

"What about you guys?" Steve questioned. "Are you just having snacks for dinner?"

"We had pizza already," Bucky told him. They entered the building and shut the door against the bitter wind. "And my grand plan for messing up Nat and Clint's evening is giving them both really spicy breath with chili nachos, so maybe they won't spend the entire time making out and ruining the movie for me."

Steve laughed, as Bucky'd hoped he would.

"Oh, man. Third wheel?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Bucky shrugged. "It's fine until it's not. Sometimes I just want to watch a movie without slurping surround sound, you know?"

Steve snorted, trying not to laugh. "Hey, if it's really terrible, come hang out with me. I'm in apartment 5C. Plus, I'll have homemade hamburgers."

"Homemade?"

They walked up the stairs together, as they were heading to the same floor.

"Yeah, all made by me."

"But with optional pickle?"

"No pickle, promise." Steve gave him a warm smile, his eyes crinkling up.

He seemed really nice, and Bucky felt a crush looming.

Which was bad, because Bucky's crushes never worked out well for him. For all he knew, Steve was straight.

Still, having a new friend could be cool. Especially if it meant he could escape the enforced voyeurism of his room-mate's making out on the couch every night.

~

"Natasha!" Bucky called as soon as he'd got into the apartment and shut the door. "Natasha?"

"She's having a bath," Clint said, reading a magazine on the couch.

Bucky went over there and tilted his head to look at the magazine cover. "Why're you reading Marie Claire?"

"It's Nat's." Clint looked up with a wicked grin. "There's some good stuff in here, including sex tips! Man, if I'd known this years ago, it would've saved me a lot of work."

Bucky raised his hand. "Stop right there, I don't need to know any more than that." He hefted the bag of snacks over the back of the couch and dropped them into Clint's lap. "Go make yourself useful, and get the nachos together."

"Nachos!" Clint sang, flinging the magazine aside and cradling the snacks to his chest. "I'm on it."

"And don't forget to make a plate without any jalapenos," Bucky reminded him.

"Yes, oh bland and boring one," Clint replied, getting up from the couch.

Bucky pouted. "I'm not... those things."

"You play it too safe," Clint told him, striding off to the kitchen area.

"I do not."

"Um, you do."

"Just because I don't like jalapenos!" Bucky protested.

"Uh, no, not just that," Clint laughed. "In every single thing you do. Mister Play-it-safe, never takes a risk."

Bucky set his hands on his hips. "Shows what you know, Barton. I _was_ keeping it a secret, but since you're being so nosy, I'm going out later. On a hot date!"

Clint stopped what he was doing and looked over with surprise, just as Bucky regretted opening his big mouth.

"Oh, really? With who?"

Bucky had the sense to keep details to himself. "None of your business, that's who," he said, and went off to his bedroom.

He'd hide in there for a bit and try to figure out what to do. Bucky shut his bedroom door and flung himself onto his bed with a groan.

"I'm not boring," he muttered, staring up at his ceiling. "I'll show them."

~

They reconvened on the couch with plates of nachos (no jalapenos for Bucky) to watch a movie. By which time Natasha knew all about Bucky's 'hot date', and asked question after question.

Bucky stuffed his mouth with nachos to avoid answering. "None of your business," he grumbled, mouth full. "Lemme just have one date before interrogation, please."

"Okay, fine," she relented, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. "We're just excited for you!"

"I'm more, like, mildly interested," Clint put in. "I wouldn't say it's excitement levels... yet!"

"Clint, you only get excited about pizza," Bucky shot back.

"True," Clint said.

"And me," Natasha said, turning her head to press a kiss to Clint's cheek.

"Also true!"

Bucky made a face at them.

Honestly, he wasn't sure how much more he could take living with a couple who were still in their honeymoon period.

He tried to watch the movie, with Nat and Clint whispering sweet nothings and starting to smooch.

The spicy breath plan had failed, then.

Bucky cleared up the empty plates as an excuse to escape for a bit, and get them all cups of soda.

He tried to watch the movie again but another twenty minutes of slurpy make-out sounds from the happy couple, and Bucky had had enough.

"Boy, look at the time!" he declared, getting up from the couch. "I'd better go get ready for my hot date!"

Nat and Clint were still sucking face, but Clint reached out a hand and gave him a thumb's up.

Bucky sighed, and headed to his room.

As he looked around at the haphazard clothes, some hanging up on his rail, others flung over the chair, he wondered what he should put on.

Something casual and nice, but preferably clean and not covered in nacho crumbs.

Bucky got changed first, then went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He checked himself over in the mirror and, satisfied, went to go find his shoes.

As he passed by the living room, Nat and Clint popped their heads over the back of the couch.

"You're going in that?" Nat said dubiously.

"I thought you said it was a hot date?" Clint asked, as Bucky blinked back at them in surprise.

"What?" he replied. "What's wrong with this?"

"You've made zero effort," Clint said, as Nat nodded her head in agreement. "Marie Claire says––"

"Ugh!" Bucky groaned. "Tell Marie Claire that I don't care, and this is a casual date anyway."

"You said it was a hot date!" Clint leaned over the couch and folded his arms.

"It is!" Bucky's face flushed, proving the point. "He is hot! But it's casual, we're not going to the Ritz Carlton!"

"Oh." Clint sank back down. "Aren't you going to at least do your hair? Have a shave?"

"I like my stubble." Bucky ran a hand protectively over his chin. "And what's wrong with my hair?"

"It's a bird's nest," Nat said, then gestured with her hand. "Come sit here, I'll do it."

"Oh, my God," Bucky huffed.

Sometimes living with two hairdressers was a giant pain in his ass.

But, he wanted to make a good impression on Steve, fake date or not, so he relented. He went and sat on the floor in front of Natasha. She produced a tailcomb out of nowhere, and got to work on Bucky's hair.

Clint was the backseat driver and tried advising her what to do, until Nat threatened to stab him with the tailcomb, so he backed off.

"There," Nat declared a couple minutes later. "Much better. Go look."

Bucky dragged himself up from the floor and headed off to the bathroom. He approached the mirror and for a moment couldn't see much difference, but after examining himself from each side he concluded that his hair did indeed look more 'I spent time on this mess' as opposed to 'I don't own a brush'.

Bucky shrugged, and headed back out. "Can I leave now?" he asked, picking up his jacket and keys.

Clint waved a white napkin at him, and pretended to wipe a tear away. "Our son! Going on a date!"

Nat smiled at Bucky. "You look great! Go win him over."

"I'll try," Bucky murmured, and waved them goodbye.

He closed the door to their apartment, and took a moment to breathe.

Now he had to actually go to Steve's place.

~

Bucky knocked on the door of 5C, and stood there trying to loosen his shoulders and just appear more... casual.

He felt very tense.

Bucky held his breath as he waited... and waited. And just as he was about to tip-toe away and pretend he'd never knocked, he heard footsteps approach the door.

No turning back now.

The door opened, and Steve smiled brightly at him. "Bucky! You made it."

"Hey," Bucky replied, hoping he didn't sound as awkward as he felt. "You sure I'm not interrupting?"

"Not at all." Steve stood aside and beckoned him in. "I started grilling the burgers, so you're just in time."

"Oh. Awesome."

Steve led him into the apartment, where the smells of delicious food filled Bucky's nose and he closed his eyes on a blissful sigh.

"Sure smells good."

Steve smiled happily, and gestured for Bucky to join him at the kitchen island. "Wanna help me get the buns and salad ready?"

"Sure."

There was a lot of food and fresh ingredients all laid out on the counter top, so Bucky rolled up his sleeves and made himself useful. There was also a variety of cheese, dips, and salads.

Steve added cheese and sauce to the burgers currently under the grill, and set them back under to cook, while Bucky tossed a salad together.

"You're not allergic to anything?" Steve asked.

"Thankfully no," Bucky said. "I'm fine with anything, honest."

"Great." Steve seemed pleased. "These burgers are gluten free. So are the buns."

"Oh?" Bucky glanced over at the soft white buns. He probably wouldn't have noticed, especially with how good those burgers smelled, they were bound to taste amazing.

"Health first, huh?" Bucky said.

"I'm a personal trainer," Steve said, and took the burgers out. He brought them over to the counter, and transferred them onto buns. "But today is a cheat day."

"Right," Bucky said, adding salad to each of the plates. "Yes, cheat days. Gotta love cheat days."

Every day was a cheat day for Bucky.

"You belong to a gym?" Steve asked, sitting down on one of the stools.

Bucky followed his example, and picked up his loaded burger. "Um," he stalled, waiting for Steve to take a bite first. "Not at the moment. Why, you gonna sell one to me?"

Steve started laughing, but with his mouth closed and trying not to drop his burger. He finished his mouthful, and replied, "No, just curious. I hadn't seen you at the gym two blocks down. That's where I work most days."

"Oh, right." Bucky took a bite of his burger, then closed his eyes and moaned a little. "Oh, my God," he murmured, and took another bite. "Mmm."

"Good?" Steve asked.

"So good. Cheat days are great."

When they'd finished the absolutely amazing burgers, Bucky helped Steve clear up his kitchen, chatting about food and Steve's unfortunate list of intolerances.

Even the beer Steve had was gluten free, and he offered one to Bucky.

They took the beers over to Steve's couch, and he fired up Netflix.

"I can't really taste a difference," Bucky said, sipping experimentally at his beer.

"Yeah, it's pretty good," Steve said. "I only have one or two beers occasionally. Or I'll never get up in the morning."

"Early start?" Bucky guessed.

"Usually around four."

"In the morning?" Bucky gaped. "Oh, my God, Steve."

"Gotta get my own workout in before I head to my first clients," Steve said easily. "Park first, gym after."

"You're making me feel positively lazy," Bucky teased.

"What do you do?"

"I'm mostly a computer guy," Bucky said. "So it's a lot of sitting at a desk and eating snacks, and rolling my eyes at how stupid other people are when they mess up their computers and expect me to fix them."

Steve laughed, a big belly laugh. "Sounds like me with computers. Hey, there's still exercises you can do at your desk."

"Ah, yes. The annoying dude from human resources came around with a sheet about that," Bucky said. "I think I used my sheet as a coaster for my coffee then it ended up in the trash."

Steve shook his head. "Maybe you can join me on a morning run before work sometime?"

"That's very kind of you to offer, Steve," Bucky said with a laugh, "but I'm not a morning person, and it's best for other humans if they don't see me in the mornings."

Steve laughed again.

He had a great laugh, and Bucky smiled, feeling pleased that Steve seemed to be enjoying his company.

"So, what're you watching?" he asked, as the Netflix home screen was still there. Steve hadn't picked anything yet.

"I don't mind," Steve said, offering the remote to Bucky. "Wanna choose?"

"Wow." Bucky took the remote and held it reverently. "I don't even get to hold the remote in my own apartment. This is truly an honor."

Steve grinned. "Who rules Netflix in your apartment?"

"Well, in the living room, Clint has to be the mediator and choose, otherwise Natasha and I will start fighting over what to watch."

"Sounds intense," Steve said, and settled into the couch with his beer resting on his leg. "What sort of shows am I in for tonight?"

A slow smile spread across Bucky's face. "How are you with a bit of fun horror?"

"I'm fine with anything," Steve said. "If I have a nightmare, though, I'll blame you."

Bucky went through the menu, and selected The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

"Are you religious?" he asked, before hitting play.

"I was brought up Catholic," Steve said, "but I'm not heavily into it."

"Ah." Bucky pressed play for episode one. "You might either love this or hate it, then."

"Cool."

They watched three episodes in a row, and Steve loved it.

Bucky had already seen the entire season, so he could relax a bit and enjoy Steve seeing it for the first time.

"This is so funny," Steve said. "I love all these actors. So, is Ambrose the gay cousin, or...?"

Bucky smiled. "He's Pan."

"Cool," Steve said, then added with a shy smile, "I'm bi."

Bucky's smile grew. "Me too."

"Yeah? Awesome." Steve smiled back, and they had a moment of just grinning at each other before Steve looked away shyly and picked up the remote. "Um, do you wanna watch some more? Or are you going to be late?"

"Um, I'm not going anywhere," Bucky said.

"You aren't?"

"Nope. It's a school night," he joked. "Working tomorrow."

"Huh."

"You thought I was going out?" Bucky asked.

"Well, you did your hair..." Steve gestured.

"Oh." Now Bucky's cheeks burned hot. "No, I didn't," he fibbed.

"But it's different," Steve said.

Well, no getting out of that so easily, Bucky thought.

"No, but I didn't do it," he elaborated. "Nat did."

"Oh? How come?"

Bucky cleared his throat as he thought up a lie. "Practise?"

"I thought she was a senior stylist?" Steve said.

"What?" Bucky spluttered in surprise. "How did you––"

Steve gestured to his own hair: short, blond with highlights, pristinely styled. "She does mine."

"Oh."

"That's how we met, actually."

"Oh."

"And she told me about this apartment coming up, too. Which is how I got into the building."

"Oh."

Steve laughed. "You keep saying, 'oh', like, it's a bad thing?"

"No, I'm just..." Bucky laughed too. "I'm just surprised."

"So, how come Natasha did your hair?" Steve asked. "It seemed fine before."

" _Thank_ you." Bucky threw up both hands. "They both told me it looked terrible."

Steve bit his lip, trying not to smile. "That something they do regularly?"

"No, just..." Bucky winced. "Actually, I better come clean, because now I know you see Nat, she'll end up finding out."

"Find out what?"

"So... I may have gotten into a thing with them," Bucky explained. "Clint called me boring, and we argued. I said I wasn't boring and I had a hot date tonight. Hence why they bullied me about doing my hair."

"I see." Steve smiled in amusement. "So, what's the problem, exactly?"

Bucky huffed. "Well, when Nat finds out I was lying, she'll tell Clint and then they'll both make fun of me. So, if she asks, just tell her you never saw me, okay?"

"Why don't you tell them the truth?"

"What? No, Steve, you don't understand what they're like."

"No!" Steve laughed. "I meant, tell them your hot date went well."

"But I didn't have a..." Bucky trailed off as Steve shifted closer to him.

"Oh," he said, as Steve put his arm around the back of the couch, gently resting on Bucky's shoulders.

"This okay?" Steve asked.

Bucky nodded. "Yes. Yeah, yes, it's great."

Steve smiled at him, and pointed the remote at the screen. "You can hold onto me during any scary bits."

Bucky automatically pressed himself closer. "Okay!"

~

"Ten bucks!" Clint said, pulling out a note and slapping it down on the coffee table.

Natasha merely raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, twenty!" Clint put down another ten.

Nat inspected her nails.

Clint rolled his eyes, and dug deeper into his pocket, but he only found a dollar, a pizza coupon, and a purple guitar pick.

"Huh, I've been looking for that," he mused.

"You don't even play guitar," Nat said, scooping up all Clint's money and pocketing it.

"Hey, hey," Clint said, "he isn't even back yet! You don't know you've won the bet."

"Trust me, Clint," she said smugly, "I've won. He had a hot date."

Clint snorted a laugh. "I'll believe it when I see it.

Sure enough, at only 9PM, there came the sound of Bucky's key in the door.

Clint exchanged a grin with Nat as they both whirled around on the couch so they could observe Bucky coming in.

Bucky seemed a bit distracted, lost in his thoughts until Clint called out, "Buck! Back so soon?"

Bucky jumped in surprise. "Jeez, Clint, don't scare me."

Nat elbowed Clint to get his attention, then gestured at Bucky's hair as he came around to the seating area.

"How was the date?" she asked, sounding smug.

Clint frowned, then took a closer look at Bucky's hair.

It was _mussed_.

Clint's mouth dropped open and he pointed accusingly at Bucky. "You've been making out!"

"What?" Bucky stared back with such a shocked expression that Clint and Nat both started to laugh.

"You made out with someone!" Clint said. "Or ran through a park hedge? Which is it?"

"I, um..." Bucky blushed. "I didn't run through a park..."

"Oh, my God!" Clint gasped. "You had a date and I lost twenty bucks!"

Bucky frowned. "What?"

"Nothing," Nat said, elbowing Clint hard enough to make him grunt. "He lost to me at poker. You wanna play a game?"

"No, I'm good," Bucky said. "I'm gonna go to bed early, I think."

Clint laughed at that. "Oh, yeah? And Snapchat your hot date?"

"Um." Bucky smiled, and blushed again. "Maybe."

"Have fun!" Nat waved as Bucky said goodnight, and left for his bedroom.

Clint narrowed his eyes at his girlfriend. "Hey. Do you know something I don't?"

Natasha smiled enigmatically. "I'm sure I know many things you don't. Your general knowledge is appalling."

"No." Clint laughed. "I meant about Bucky's date."

She was still smiling, but only said, "Maybe."

Clint was about to argue when Nat's phone buzzed in her pocket, and she shoved him away so she could pull it out and start texting.

"Who is––"

"Shush," she ordered. "I'm replying to my B.F.F. Steve."

Clint made a face, then sighed to himself. He dug in his own pocket to check his phone, but no one had messaged him. He found the pizza coupon again, and held it protectively.

"You'll never betray me," he said to it. "Coupons are forever."

Natasha glanced at him briefly in between lightning fast texting. "Clint, have you even checked the date on that?"

"Huh? Of course I have," Clint replied, then examined the coupon's small print.

Expiry date was a month ago.

"Aw, coupon, no."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> There is a [rebloggable post for this fic on tumblr](https://jro616.tumblr.com/post/180624179350/buckys-hot-date-by-roe87-rating-teen-and).
> 
> I am also on [tumblr](http://jro616.tumblr.com), come say hi or leave me a comment here!


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